Asashoryu’s makuuchi winning percentage of 78.1% (359 wins 101 losses 5 kyujo in 31 basho at the end of Hatsu 2006) is remarkably consistent with his career average of 78.0% (432 wins, 121 losses and 5 kyujo in 43 basho). This places him in third place in makuuchi winning percentages in the modern era, after Taiho (83.8%) and Futabayama (80.2%), but nowhere near the all time winners’ list. Table 3 shows the six rikishi (all yokozuna) with the highest winning percentage
in their makuuchi records.

Tanikaze was actually an ozeki granted a license to practice “yokozuna” ceremonies (such as the dohyo-iri) by Yoshida Tsukasa as, at the time, yokozuna was neither a rank nor a title. Though the Nihon Sumo Kyokai now recognizes him as the fourth yokozuna, for all intents and purposes he deserves to be named the first yokozuna, as the existence of the first three yokozuna and their sumo career records were never substantiated and not well documented. Tanikaze and the 5th yokozuna Onogawa Kisaburo (1758-1806) received their yokozuna licenses at the November 1789 basho, while there is no documented record of the first three yokozuna receiving their license from the same Yoshida Tsukasa. Based

mae-zumo in order to determine their banzuke ranking for the following basho.

Asashoryu faced the minimum number of three rikishi, all of whom he defeated. On day 3, he beat Matsuoka (no longer in
sumo) of Nakadachi-beya. The next day, he defeated Tokukaizan (also retired) of Isenoumi-beya. On day 5, he won against Tashiro (now Tooyama of blogging fame) of Tamanoi-beya.

The following basho, March 1999, when Asashoryu first appeared on the banzuke, he was ranked as jonokuchi east 34, and after beating Tamatsumi by hatakikomi in his first jonokuchi bout, he lost to Tashiro on day 4 by oshidashi. He finished the basho with 6 wins and 1 loss, but missed out on the yusho. Asashoryu was then promoted to jonidan for the following basho and won all seven bouts to capture the jonidan yusho. In

the July 1999 basho, he again won all seven bouts to capture the sandanme yusho.

In makushita, Asashoryu started well with two six wins/one loss basho, but
encountered a slight wall and suffered his first makekoshi at the January 2000 tournament where he finished with 3 wins and 4 losses. However, three basho later in Nagoya, Asashoryu ranked at makushita west 2, was back in form and won all seven bouts. When he made his dohyo debut, he was 182 cm tall and weighed only 106 kg. By the time he was in makushita he was 184 cm tall and weighed 120 kg. Prior to the basho, he had made a promise to his oyakata that he would finally travel back home to Mongolia the following month. He wanted to tell the folks there that he would become a sekitori, joining Kyokushuzan and Kyokutenho – already national heroes in Mongolia – in the higher ranks.